Gladys
"While it does hurt me to have to say it - we'll be forced to destroy the joints on both his arms and his legs." ~ Gladys Gladys ''(formerly known as Talons of the Tit)'' was an Elven female in the service of first the Crimson Wings, and afterwards the Nameless Brotherhood. Taciturn, curt, pragmatic yet compassionate she guides herself by a self-imposed code of morality that avoids killing in any circumstance. Having rejected her former life as an elite assassin she is now absolutely devoted to stopping the plans of lord Ilyan Iskaar to bring the Shades of the Horizon to Thressos. Appearance Gladys is a tall,lanky,yet athletic woman of crimson hair. She bears the Elven facial tattoos for most of the graver crimes on her face. Her skin is pale and her facial features angular and stern. The ring finger on her right hand is conspicously missing. Gladys is often seen wearing the fine white shirt,cloth pants,flowing black hooded cloak and tall boots bequeathed to her by Mikhael Strand on the day of her supposed defection,stained with the cursed blood of Glaurum. While pretty, Gladys cares little for her physical appearance past hygiene. Personality and Traits Gladys before breaking away from the Crimson Wings was almost emotionless,prioritizing her mission's completion before everything else. Even then she had an interest in the way people related to each other and the ultimate fate of one, once they had finished their life. This in time evolved into a great compassion for everyone living and a desire to assist others and relieve their suffering, as evidenced by her frequent attending to other people's issues, as a hobby. She enjoys the simple pleasures of life such as good food, the beauty of nature and restful sleep to the fullest when she can acquire them. She has a keen distaste for worship of the Gods, holding them accountable for the detestable cruelty inherent in all interactions between beings in the natural order. Having broken away, Gladys has now developed a keen distaste for misery and injustice, seeking to fight it in whatever form it takes. She is soft-spoken, quiet and collected, only lashing out at others when they show their negligence for human lives. She has sworn off killing and thus avoids harming her enemies all too badly when fighting. Gladys possesses a certain sardonic wit, often making use of jarring gallows humor. Sometimes her cold pragmatism when it comes down with dealing with enemies can be jarring as when she offered to dismember Blavir upon discovering he was a werewolf. Gladys is open-minded and willing to listen to novel ideas, consider, and accept them, if they prove to be beneficial. Powers and Abilities Gladys was a well-rounded, versatile fighter capable of both being a fearsome enemy in open combat as well as proving a slippery foe capable of using trickery and evasion to undo her foes. Physical Aptitude Her Elven heritage alongside the years of rigorous training that the Crimson Wings have put her through has molded Gladys' body to a state of almost inhuman perfection. She has great endurance and can run at high speed for long amounts of time, as well as having incredibly fast reflexes and spatial awareness. Her elven heritage also gives her the ability to see well in almost complete darkness. Weapon Mastery Gladys claims to be able to use every common type of weapon in the kingdoms of Man well, and this appears to be so. While she prefers a rapier for its versatility, backed up by six throwing knives she keeps all over her body she has been seen using a chain-scythe, a greatsword and a crossbow. Elven Magic Having been taught ever since her birth to expand upon her race's magical potential she is capable of reaching into it to perform various spells,such as summoning lighting, cloaking her and her companions in shadow, changing her appearance by bending light around her face and healing others' wounds. While seemingly powerful it takes a lot of her strength for her to cast her spells and she is forced to be sparing in their use. Having awakened to the threat of the Shadows of the Horizon she is capable of sensing their very presence in an area around herself. Assassin Training Gladys has spent most of her life training to dispatch people with deadly efficiency and grand flare, as well as to navigate and survive both in the harsh wilds of the Rotpearl and in the bustling cities and towns of the Union. Even if she has vowed to herself to no longer kill she is still an expert tracker and hunter as well as a capable infiltrator using many disguises and a set of seemingly harmless items concealing weapons - such as a cane that hides a rapier and a large white parasol that contains a heavy crossbow. Oath Having broken Glaurum's gift on a lead golem she has acquired a magical spear made of a piece of the False God's power that is bound to her own body. It takes the form of a red, almost crystalline battle-spear that she can manifest at will. While light its very presence can rend materials. As well as that upon its' user's command it can grow into the bodies of her enemies tearing them from within. She named the weapon Oath for its abilities to bind those it struck and for its significance in being the tool in fulfilling her own oath to herself, Mikhael and the world. Ring of Wrath The Ring of Wrath is a powerful magic artifact that can be used as a whistle to enrage animals that hear its call. The sound can also be enclosed in bubbles of the user's spit that can be attached to surfaces as a sort of time bomb to release the sound around a specific target, thus leading animals to swarm to it and try and destroy it. It was given to her as her signature weapon as part of the Crimson Wings, but she carried it into her exile and service to the Brotherhood. Greaves of the Flying Knife A pair of enchanted leather greaves lent to her by Lord Maroyan Sharper, they can generate astral knives that can be thrown at the user's will. She is however yet to use them. History Before the events of the campaign At some point about 200 years ago the woman now known as Gladys was taken as an infant from her parents (presumably on the Rotpearl) and initiated into the Crimson Wings. Raised as a valuable slave assassin she was taught only to serve. She was trained to use all weapons,and was dubbed the Talons of the Tit. As Talons of the Tit she spent a good amount of time being sent to kill various high-profile targets using the Ring of Wrath. Some years after her initiation she began doubting the rightness of her calling and thus sought(under the pretext of understanding emotional manipulation better) to acquaint herself better with her fellow man. As so inbetween missions she tried to assist various people with their small problems. 19 years before the current time she met a young Mikhael Strand ,trying to run away from home,during her passing through Loneport and convinced him not to,although at this point her desire to escape her masters had almost leveled out with her fear of denying them. Washed together into the mass of such excursions into the lives of people this particular encounter was forgotten by Gladys. "Voyage to Ber Vokofri" Arc Her first encounter with the group that would later come to be the Brotherhood of the Nameless was when she was dispatched alongside the Talons of the Vulture - a chain-scythe-wielding assassin to kill Mikhael Strand and Senetius of Striecht during their passage alongside the Green Pearls. Being instructed to land on a small island in the archipelago she and her colleague ambushed their entire party,with Gladys herself,putting a voluminous cloak on and awaiting Senetius near a lake and proclaiming that he was being tested,while throwing the cloak off. She used her Ring of Wrath to call down all the various animals on the island atop him and his companion Edith. Soon enough Mikhael and Lithiel joined the fray,with Lithiel taking on the Talons-of-the-Vulture alongside Senecius,while Mikhael and his squire Hammer pursued her into the forest. After setting a herd of elephants on the knight ,while she was pursued and a pod of killer whales on the group as they tried to escape on their boat back to the ship they had been travelling with she was defeated by Lithiel's fire magic. Before passing out she managed to bite her ring finger off, swallowing the Ring of Wrath. Having been knocked unconscious she later awoke in the hold of the trading ship her targets had been travelling on. She was questioned by them,yet was unable to divulge any information past the location of the training facility of her order on the Rotpearl and that she was sent to kill them,as she did not know it. She also shared the name of the Claws of the Hawk - the most powerful of the Crimson Wings. As an attempt to finish her mission she appealed to Mikhael's love for oaths,seeing that he was a knight. She undertook the Blood Oath,swearing herself into the Brotherhood of the Nameless,and personally to Mikhael Strand,saying that he now owned her life. An argument broke out between her captors about how to name their new companion,with Lithiel insisting on Tinosa-the elven word for tit,and Mikhael simply calling her Gladys" over and over. During this time Mikhael also gave her a change of his own clothing and let her use the enchanted chain-scythe of her fallen companion. He told her as much as he understood of the dangers of the Shadows of the Horizon and lent her ''Shades Beyond Our Comprehension" as well. Later during the day,while pretending to be seasick Gladys threw up her Ring back into her possession and stealthily used it to try and lure sealife to the boat. The next day,after passing Elva her plan worked and the Malavathan-the great lightning serpent attacked the boat. Playing innocent she pretended to assist the Brotherhood in their fight against it as it wrecked their boat. During the battle as she began making her escape she was noticed by Senecius,as she tried to plant a bubble of sound from her Ring,on him. Acting quickly he detached the bubble from his cloak and threw it back at Gladys attracting the Malavatan onto her. Being almost swallowed whole,she used the chain-scythe and the ring to attract various sea life to the monster and float away-almost dead. At the brink of death and having failed her mission she realized that she valued her life. As so she concluded - others did as well,maybe even more than she did. Managing to make it to the Rune Shore the realization that now was the chance she had awaited to desert her masters was upon her,and that her life was hers for the living. Once ashore she swore to herself to find Mikhael Strand and seek to mend her treachery to the oath she gave him,as well as assist the cause he introduced to her ,coming to see the true horror of the Shadows as she acquainted herself with the book she was given,and before herself she swore to guard other lives as she does her own and value them in the same way. "Man's End" Arc After acquiring weaponry suited to her tastes, stealing it from a travelling caravan she made her way to Man's End, where she had been told that the Brotherhood was seeking to go. Arriving before the party she assumed the guise of ''Gladyeon"- a male Elven wanderer and swore her blade to Mirinin. Later she tracked Mikhael, Lithiel and Senecius through the city and when they were attacked by The Talons of the Hawk she intervened at the last moment, nailing a knife through his head and disappearing into the shadows, unable to face Strand with the things she had done. After this she returned to Mirinin's mansion and attended a briefing given by the wizard to the group, the rest of the Brotherhood being joined by the enigmatic one-armed young wizard Opinor Corydon and another newcomer- a blind wanderer from the Runelands named Shia. During that briefing Mikhael showed suspicion towards her disguise and forced her to reveal her actual identity. Upon that Mirinin was ready to evict her from the organization, with only the timely intervention of Mikhael insisting he was giving her a second chance to do good on her oath to him stopping the wizard from doing so. Taking this chance she ,alongside Shia swore herself via the Blood Oath to the Brotherhood, this time swearing with the name she had chosen to keep as her own-Gladys. With Mikhael being kept behind alongside Lithiel so Mirinin could do research she alongside Opinor, Shia and Senetius set out to the island of Sacris to try and break through the Imperial blockade of it and retrieve the artifact of the False God on it - Glaurum the Lord of Sacrifice. However during the party's initial wandering through Man's End for supplies they ran into a suspicious group of hooded men that on Gladys' suggestion they tracked to a mansion in the city. Using her Elven magic and Senecius' infiltration skills they broke into the place, followed the men into an underground shrine and much to their horror discovered they had run into one of Ilyan Iskaar's secret hideouts, when Gladys discovered a Mouth of the Void chained in a side corridor of the sanctuary. They watched as he used the item - an enchanted spear of some kind to part a bucket of water and speak of his intention to use it to break the Imperial blockade on the isle of Sacris. As they tracked him upwards into the mansion Senecius decided to attack him for reasons unknown to Gladys. Even ambushed and outnumbered four-to-one lord Iskaar proved to be a fearsome foe, Gladys discovering that her blades passed through his frame and that he could move faster than the eye could track and attack when reasonably he would be unable as well as channel the powers of the void. After setting the mansion aflame the party hurried into the yard, with Gladys attempting to get everyone to evacuate as the battle was going unfavorably, while Senecius pressed the attack,giving Opinor an opening to issue a Sending to Mirinin to alert him of the current situation. Severely wounded, Iskaar managed to escape and set a group of Dawn cultists and the Mouths of the Void on the group. Gladys and Shia fought valiantly to cover the severly wounded Senecius and Opinor. Еntering a fight with both the mansion's guards and the Mouths which used their pressure field to knock out almost everyone ,only the timely return of Mikhael and Lithiel saving them from being devoured whole. Upon arriving Gladys gave a situation report of Iskaar's new weapon which sent Mikhael into a blind rage, as it turned out the weapon had been the Strand ancestral spear- Hrithspel. Senecius, still seeking to destroy Iskaar for reasons not entirely clear to Gladys offered to help Mikhael in chasing him down. Mikhael also borrowed Ruin-which he had gifted to Opinor as As Mikhael, Lithiel and Senecius hurried off to chase Iskaar Gladys managed to convince the mansion's guards to join the Brotherhood's cause using the argument of their former master having set the monsters of the Void,he had not previously told them about on them,and their lives being endangered now that they knew the truth. Recruiting their help she, alongside with Shia and Opinor she returned to Mirinin's own mansion and conducted a search of the city, while Mirinin departed to pursue and try and intercept lord Iskaar provided he had fled. "Sacris" Arc Upon combing the city clean alongside her companions and discovering nothing Gladys alongside Opinor suggested the party follow Mirinin in the pursuit of lord Iskaar. Upon tracing his and the rest of their allies path alongside the shoreline they were followed by a mysterious armored rider. In one of the many fishing hamlets ,overcrowded with large crowds of refugees they finally confronted said rider, who turned out to be of orcish descent. Claiming to have come from the direction of the recently transpired cataclysm he introduced himself as Dustin -a paladin of the Four who had seen the events that had occurred in the fishing hamlet upshore. After describing to the party what he had seen, they all agreed to go there with him. Gladys was reluctant to allow this clear outsider and potential spy into their midst, but was overruled. Riding into the abandoned fishing hamlet they scoured the place for clues as to the events transpired,that according to Dustin's description included a ''tall man being confronted by a young girl,Senecius an armored rider, a wizard and some priestess then killing the young girl with some magic spell ,annihilating the priestess and trying to flee as Senecius and the armored knight chased him down, which culminated in the tall man and the knight ganging up on and murdering Senecius". As they reached a bloody downpour began,drenching the entire place in crimson, forcing the company to take shelter in a nearby tavern. Upon this odd,dog-like creatures appeared and attempted to subdue the party. A battle joined as the beings attempted to drag the orcish stranger into seemingly another dimension. After some fighting in which the stranger proved his merit as a warrior the demons were repelled and the party could now scout out the hamlet. With Dustin's disturbing description, the arm of Lithiel of Yandae poking out from under the edge of a giant boulder on the beach and a worrying letter left behind by Mikhael Strand alongside Ruin which Opinor reclaimed the party came to realize the worst had happened- their leader and his aide had been killed and so had been their allies. Mikhael- a man known for his unfaltering devotion and iron will had seemingly betrayed them. As Gladys pored over the letter she was struck with a realization. She revealed to the party that she had spoken to Mikhael before during her time as a member of the Crimson Wings, going over their brief tryst in Loneport 19 years ago and noting that their relation could be of potential use. With Opinor proclaiming that he,alongside with the two guards they had recruited from Iskaar would return to Man's End to salvage what they could of Mirinin's research documents they parted. Apprehensively Gladys agreed to take Dustin with them on their voyage to Sacris, sailing across the bay with one of the boats left behind by the villagers. Arriving on the shore they noticed an Imperial ship docked at the island's port and a set of tracks indicating a large group of men led by a woman in the sand of the beach. Shia, much to Gladys' annoyance went ahead and presented herself to the crew of the Imperial ship, which almost jumped to arms at the sight of the party, but was convinced that they were of no threat. They told them that the island was currently being searched by an Imperial party, that severe disaster had transpired and that they better leave. Ignoring this the Brotherhood promised to depart,only to go around and seek an entrance into the temple inside of the isle's rocky cliffs. Entering the temple revealed a bloodbath ,with stray monk corpses laying around and rivers of blood, seemingly already molded into the antechamber's structure overflowing. Forging on deeper they encountered several undead abominations ,including what seemed to be the remains of the Imperial search party and a grotesque starfish-like monstrosity made of conjoined corpses. After an exhausting battle ,the pary separated as Gladys saw it fitter to rest and heal her injuries while Dustin and Shia,being firm believers in the Gods were adamant on forging on. After half an hour of rest Gladys caught up to them,only to discover that they had become engaged in battle with what seemed to be living blood serpents in the ruined central complex. She rushed to assist them, but during the fight Dustin swallowed a considerable amount of the blood that flowed into an underground river. As they fought the creatures off an Imperial cleric came to assist them and helped them up to a bridge that led deeper into the temple. As this happened Dustin flew into a berserk rage for seemingly no reason, demaning to ingest more of the blood that flooded the temple. With the help of the Imperial cleric that introduced himself as Panagiotis they managed to restore Dustin's sanity,but not before being forced to hunker down in a chamber in the ruined depths of the temple and rest for a while. During their rest Panagiotis confided in them that he had been part of the Imperial expedition to the island, and that it indeed had been wiped out. As they gathered their strength a group of mysterious travellers entered the chamber, and seemed to have a bit of trouble advancing further into the temple,their path blocked by debris. The party hid and observed them as their leader- a cat-woman used some magical power to lift the debris aside and clear a path. While Gladys, Dustin and the severely exhausted Panagiotis argued to let them pass Shia rushed out and confronted them forcing the rest of the party to reveal themselves. The woman introduced herself as Zetheniela and urged the entire group to leave as well, further arousing Gladys' already existing suspicions about her working for lord Iskaar, and as so the elf invoked the name of Mikhael Strand claiming to be his bonded servant. This elicited further suspicion from Zetheniela, with her disclosing that Mikhael had left for Magistris. After a few more heated exchanges the situation deteriorated and the party found itself facing the full wrath of Zetheniela's telekinesis and the assault of her retinue of Void cultists and hired blades. In a pitched clash the party barely managed to defeat the magician, forcing her to retreat, but not before she had crushed Panagiotis with a rock. Before Zetheniela escaped Gladys vowed to kill her. Shortly after Zetheniela's escape another group of travellers entered the chamber. They presented themselves as a Union expedition sent by Lord Huung to investigate the Lord Iskaar's activities. Their leader introduced himself as Sir Spanner Igel and his companions with the names of various lesser Union landed knights and younger sons. The mysterious female with them simply told them her name was Mariah and refused to reveal her face. Gladys and the rest of the party agreed to go with them in tracking Iskaar to the peak of the temple, exchanging information about the enemy's servants they had encountered. Upon ascending upwards they passed a treasury that Dustin proposed they plunder, which was met with sardonic mockery by Gladys as she highlighted the absurdity of a holy man robbing a monastery. The joined groups made it to the entrance of the temple's topmost service chamber and watched as lord Iskaar ordained a tall, swarthy-looking man to stand guard while he advanced up,leaving with him multiple seemingly unconscious prisoners of war. As the party discussed what to do Gladys reached out to feel beings of the Void and much to her horror felt one straight in their midst. Sharing this with the others Mariah revealed that she was in fact Teena Iskaar-Lord Iskaar's daughter. Having no further time to dally left Gladys proposed she ambush the guardian and take him out quickly covering the rest of the party's advance. Taking one of the vast greatswords they had looted from the Knights of the Four they had fought that had been cursed by the False God of the isle's unholy blood, suspecting it to be enchanted she advanced on the guardian. Unfortunately for her her assault was sensed and she was interdicted, forcing the rest of the group to join her. The man, introducing himself as Streno the Immovable made himself known to be a kinsman of Shia's. His martial arts alone proved to be a harsh obstacle, but the battle only became worse when upon crushing a mysterious crystal the prisoners of war conjoined into grotesque, burrowing abominations,which the Union party took on as Gladys, Shia and Dustin focused on Streno himself. As Streno demonstrated that due to his bond with the Void he could not die,reconstituting from every injury inflicted upon him the battle seemed almost forlorn. However Dustin using quick wit pulled down one of the statues in the chamber onto him, throwing him down into a nearby fissure and ending the battle. Upon the battle's ending Shia managed to rescue one of the Imperial prisoners, which looked in a severely damaged mental state. Gladys went forward, embracing him firmly and reassuring him of his safety with them, while he confided in the party that his name was Catherius and recounting that he had had a near-death experience, seeing the court of Ve, only to be drawn away from it to the mouths of ''unearthly beasts. Handing him the greatsword of the Knight of the Four and instructing him to guard and assist her wounded companions as best as he could Gladys and the rest of the party left him, hurrying upwards to chase down Lord Iskaar. Going upwards they ascended to the very top of the mont on Sacris discovering a vast red figure kneeling amidst the corpses of what appeared to be Iskaar's retinue. Approaching the figure it demanded their intentions and rose, confirming that it was indeed Glaurum, Lord of Sacrifice which the party had come to seek. He explained to the group that Lord Iskaar while having seemingly stolen his artifact was unable to steal his power as he had managed to bleed it into his very body, no longer relying on the power of the artifact. He engaged in a lengthy conversation with the party as Gladys asked for answers to the many questions they had about the Void, the False Gods and the Gods. Glaurum went into a harsh phillipic against the brutality and selfishness of the Gods, and the cruel and unusual punhishments that he had suffered at their hands. He condemned humanity for its' foolishness, but upon being made aware of the Union's existence somewhat rescinded his statement, wishing to investigate that further. He proclaimed that the Gods themselves were awaking and that he would seek his brothers in arms-the other False Gods and conquer this world. Touched by his story Gladys proclaimed her own hatred for the order of the world,created by the Gods with the weak being trampled on and suffering being indelible from every aspect of it. She expanded further saying that she sought to simply unmake all this if she could. Glaurum, seemingly impressed by her determination bequeathed upon her what he called "a piece of his power"-a glowing crimson orb. He explained to the elf that if she defeated an enemy superior to her in a duel it would relinquish its' power to her, imbuing her weapon and empowering it. Her two others companions showed their scorn and distrust for the False God, Dustin even calling him a detestable demon. Growing tired of their questioning and having given his gift to Gladys Glaurum gathered his strength and flew off to the north. With the temple seemingly being drained of the cursed blood the party went down and after Gladys admitted she had no objections to burglarizing the treasury, having simply joked with Dustin they did just that, acquiring significant wealth. For the rescue of Catherius and their brave incursion into the temple the Imperial ship docked on the shore's captain agreed to drop Gladys and the rest back onto the mainland. During that time Gladys talked to Catherius, asking him about the feeling of having a family. Upon landing ashore they reunited with the Union party and agreed to head back to Man's End to reunite with Opinor if possible. "The Brotherhood Consolidated" Arc Upon landing ashore Teena Iskaar explained to the group about her condition and the way the child given to her by Senecius related to Lord Iskaar's plans,as well as revealing that Sharper had in his possession a magical map that revealed the location of any and all False God artifacts so long as they were not sealed, that she had stolen from her father. Upon arriving in Man's End Gladys and the rest found Mirinin's mansion cordoned off by guards and Opinor missing. After sneaking into the mansion and investigating they discovered Mirinin's secret study, a final artifact not lost and not stolen by Iskaar and his notes, as well as traces of what implied Opinor and Stillen's struggle against an unknown pursuer. Via Igel's connections the party could be teleported to Knifepoint where Lord Maroyan Sharper held court. There the party agreed to spend some time studying the documents, diaries and artifact in order to gather some semblance of where to go next. A few days into this Sir Igel and the rest of his companions reported that they must depart to defend their fiefs in the north as a declararion of war from the Empire was delivered to Sharper who also made to call his banners and ride off. During that time Gladys acquired for herself a set of concealed weapons - a blade hidden in a cane and a crossbow hidden inside of a large parasol. With Dustin's help the Lord Sharper lent her the Greaves of the Flying Knife. Alongside Teena and the court wizard Gladys studied Mirinin's notes and concluded their best bet would be to seek out the necromancer known as The Shadow Of Destruction that made his home in Harvest Keep. One night Shia appeared in her chambers and initiated a conversation about the implications of what Glaurum had said and requested that Gladys hold her, with which she complied. Shortly after that Shia left, leaving Gladys severely puzzled and worried for the outlander's mental state. Unease only mounted with odd noises being heard across the castle during nighttime and various small animals being mysteriously killed. When on one of the final days Gladys found out that the map had been stolen when she and Shia made it to the wizard's study she attuned her senses to seek for a demon and found one hiding in the castle's premises. She ran to alert the court wizard, only to unfortunately discover that it was him that had been the demon. After dissolving into a floating mass of stony shards it attacked Gladys and Shia, which dashed off to find Dustin. After a lengthy skirmish the creature enveloped Shia in itself and seemingly kidnapped her. Alongside Dustin and Teena ,Gladys tracked Shia up to the nearby mountains sharing one of the many meatballs that Dustin had been keeping, having taken them from the kitchen much to Lady Iskaar's abject horror. Upon tracking Shia to the summit they discovered her sat in a griffin's nest with an odd-looking black-and-white cat sat in her lap. Upon confronting her Shia let the group know that the demon was actually her child, sending everyone into shock. As Gladys' arguments and Dustin's pleas fell on deaf ears the demon awoke, unfurling from the cat and letting the group know that he had been gestated in Shia after being injected into her at Sacris by Zetheniela. At this Dustin simply attacked and Gladys followed him. Battle joined with the demon, alongside Shia which fought on its' side. With the help of Teena Iskaar which greatly incapacitated Shia in a flurry of cold rage at her treachery and the intervention of the very Gods at the side of Dustin the demon was defeated. Upon this Shia broke into tears and went to leave, having tamed the family of griffins living on the summit. Too shocked at Shia's treachery Gladys could not interfere, and neither could the paladin, Teena Iskaar being bashed against one of the nearby rocks on the glade by the demonic being could not do anything as well. Shia proclaimed that she was going to seek her own truth and flew off on the griffin's back. Utterly defeated the two remaining members of the party carried the unconscious Teena Iskaar back to the castle at Knifepoint, and left her in the care of the healers there seeing as she had sustained a head injury that left her in a half-conscious state. Counting their losses and taking Mirinin's notes with them Dustin and Gladys were teleported to Greenflow and from there went on their way to Harvest Keep. Before departing Dustin and Gladys undertook a different blood oath of fraternity, vowing to protect, guide and care for eachother in the face of all dangers. Emilbell" Arc Dustin and Gladys made their way into the Imperial hinterlands in which Harvest Keep was located and spent a few days travelling further in. One night during their rest in an abandoned village Gladys picked up on a conversation being led nearby and alerting Dustin opted to investigate. Spotting a diminutive black being and a well-dressed young man conversing nearing her and Dustin's resting spot she tracked them carefully. As they made to enter the ruined mill they were spending the night in Dustin confronted the two, with Gladys coming to speak to them as well. Upon the black creature introducing himself as Ytril and the young elf as Noerin they let the two members of the Brotherhood know that they worked for the Shadow of Destruction and that they were on a mission set by him. As the conversation began turning adverse due to Noerin's gall a horde of flaming undead descended upon the group. Gladys utilized her newly discovered ability to summon lightning to dispatch most of the creatures. The battle finished and this prompted Noerin to explain to Gladys and Dustin about their mission to retrieve a being known as a ''Flame Yaviin and asked for the two for their assistance. Gladys and Dustin agreed, seeing this as the only way to gain the necromancer's trust. Trekking their way to a nearby village they discovered a large congregation of undead and the aforementioned Flame Yaviins, which the group engaged. Despite her best efforts Gladys was knocked out halfway through the fight and awoke to find the battle won and their mission seemingly accomplished with Dustin having acquired some form of other equally valuable artifact instead of capturing the Flame Yaviin. Afterwards the party went to Harvest Keep and dined with the Shadow of Destruction- a mysterious wizard that wore a skull mask that he refused to take off. He let the group know about his endeavours in trying to create a portal to the Void with Noerin's assistance. During the dinner Noerin's condescent and smugness already began to grind on Gladys and Dustin's nerves. Gladys offered to assist the Shadow who introduced himself as Dlob with his research on the materials that they had scavenged from Mirinin. After about a day of inaction Dlob let the group know that the Imperial Tetrarchs were making a move from Godsworn to Emilbell seemingly carrying some form of artifacts contained in lead coffins and at Gladys and Dustin's behest the group chose to attend to that matter first, leaving the tracking down of Mikhael Strand, assumed to be instrumental to Lord Iskaar's plans for a slightly later stage. They planned to coax the Tetrarchs to divulge information about their intents, at least according to Gladys' suggestions. At this time the constant bickering between Noerin and Dustin that in her eyes reduced both to immature childishness was already beginning to irritate the usually serene elf severely. The group set out the next morning and was teleported in the middle of the Godswood by Dlob. The same night they were attacked by orcs in multiple intervals with Gladys being forced to sortie out nude, as the attack came while she was bathing. The group managed to fight the orcs off with Gladys using her ability to induce rending fear greatly helping. After a few uneventful days the group made it to a cliffside where they set up camp again. The group at length discussed their approach to the Tetrarchs and had a lengthy argument about the group's name, Gladys falling into complete frustration and sardonic remarks, one of her exhausted quips becoming the official name of their organization- The Nameless Brotherhood. After agreeing on a rough plan of action they proceeded through the Gods' Pass where a stone eater and his stone basilisks attacked the party. Gladys fought bravely but the basilisks' gaze petrified her just as she finished gouging out the eyes from one of them. Much later Gladys awoke in the Tetrarchs' audience chamber, having been revived by the Tetrarch of Sai- Celesia, which she thanked profusely, feeling a bit off about owing her life to one of the most powerful servants of the Gods. Being caught amid an already begun discussion Gladys was in essence roped into being sent by the Tetrarch to find and subdue the Black Fingers-a mysterious organization making their home in the city and seemingly possessing a powerful artifact. During the time the group had to prepare Gladys and Noerin broke into the off-limits section of the Ebony Tower's library, with Gladys succesfully stealing multiple tomes regarding the Void and the origin of humanity by using her Ring of Wrath to distract the guards. The group began by tracking down Black Finger contacts, with Gladys tracking one member while the rest of the group conversed with his partner. She made it to the supposed entrance of the hideout only to somehow be knocked unconscious. The party found her and let her know about the initiation ritual, which Gladys was apprehensive about performing. During this time Noerin dropped the name of Senecius in front of a spell merchant, revealing to the group the fact that Senecius was involved with the Black Fingers. Afterwards, Gladys slapped and reprimanded him for hiding information. With the help of Mufflestep-the Black Finger that had set up their initiation they made their way to Blavir- seemingly one of the organization's leaders. They met him in a lavish tavern and after Dusting threatened him the entire tavern's staff and customers alongside Blavir who turned out to be a werewolf attacked the party, Gladys spending the battle taking out the enemy crossbowmen. After they defeated Blavir, Gladys prevented Mufflestep from escaping, opting to recruit him into the Brotherhood. As Blavir was all too sizable and looked like he could break out of regular Gladys proposed they destroy the joints on his limbs, but in the end the group simply tied the werewolf up and dragged him back into their hideout. There they interrogated the man, but not managing to acquire any information relevant to the mission from him, with Dustin brutally murdering him after realizing that he had been involved in the killing of his family,and that the False Goddess Beshaba was patron of their order. Then the party went back to the Tetrarchs where Dustin proposed a plan to smoke the Black Fingers out. Gladys' part in it was to sneak into their hideout and find the artifact they held. At this time she cut her hair short, much to Noerin's dismay, in order to better disguise herself. After explaining to the wizard that hair in fact grew back she left, being led by Mufflestep to the sanctuary's entrance alongside Ytril. She used her magic to disguise herself as a gaunt, plain-looking man named Macil. With the help of Mufflefoot the two bypassed the sancturary's protection, with Ytril unfortunately unable to follow them. Inside they were led to a large metal gate with a vast metal statue above it and a man guarding it. With neither Gladys nor Mufflestep being able to fool him, the man activated a vast lead golem which attacked the pair. Discarding her disguise she dispatched the man, but discovered that her spells and attacks did absolutely nothing to the hulking abomination. Fleeing across the sanctuary the two found themselves in front of a locked gate, which Mufflefoot agreed to pick. Gladys saying that she would distract the golem went out and decided to try and use Glaurum's Gift against the creature. Surprisingly the power trapped inside of the artifact was able to incapacitate the golem and ultimately kill it, dissolving and embedding itself into Gladys' body. Shortly after she was contacted by Noerin, letting her know that they had made their way into the hideout as well. Going into the central chamber they began rummaging through whatever things had been left behind by Baptiste. Feeling a trap, Gladys sensed the presence of four other humans in the room and made to warn Dustin, sadly failing. The Black Fingers attacked and surrounded the group, with Baptiste himself entering the chamber. The party managed to convince him to talk to them, with the Stepfather letting them know that he knew vast amounts about the Void and the False Gods and that he had in fact murdered Dustin's parents. On the surface all agreed to assist him in his escape from the city. Being made aware as they walked that the False Gods had assaulted the city Gladys did not intend to let Baptiste leave. As they made it out and to the city's main gate they found themselves facing another False God-Lissandra the Lady of Serpents. Gladys used this opening to lure her to their location and offer the artifact encased in Baptiste's arm to her. With the goddess accepting Baptiste tried to flee only for Gladys to manifest the power of Glaurum's gift and casting the glowing red spear,nail him to a street corner as all of Emilbell burned around them and giving the Lady of Serpents an opening to rip the man apart and claim the artifact. Gladys thanked Lissandra and requested to see Glaurum which soon appeared. After the False God again thanked them for their assistance and showing apparent pride in Gladys having brought his gift to good use he let her know that he would come to her side if she was ever in dire need and she prayed vehemently enough. Just as that happened a vast winged shape descended from the sky and engaged in battle with Metaron at the center of the city much to Gladys' dismay. As everything crumbled the party saw this as their signal to leave, putting Emilbell behind them and heading back for the teleportation circle. Unnamed Current Arc Making it back to the teleportation circle the party was at first alerted by Dlob about a possible informant in Hillgrove named Johnnyn Kart. At the circle itself a man claiming to be Dlob appeared. Instantly suspicious of him both Gladys and Dustin set upon him rending questions with Gladys' about the name of one of the guards at Harvest Keep springing her into action. After she defeated the wizard the party interrogated him, and as they realized their current plan was compromised made their way in a roundabout fashion to Tadjnik ,posing as an elven trader with his wife and entourage, Gladys taking up the alias Arthanè Goldstone and putting the fine clothes she had bought back at Knifepoint to good use. As they stayed in Tadjnik Gladys used her senses to feel a group of void entities closing in on their location. Тhe party attempted to flee on the back of Noerin who turned into a giant eagle, only to be chased down by the Amorphous Pursuers-demons that could switch between liquid, gaseous and solid forms. After a harsh battle with the demons, during which Gladys was almost killed the party defeated the creatures and made their escape from Tadjnik. Relationships with other characters Gladys always strove to be understanding and compassionate in her interactions with others, showing generosity and care where she could and where it was appropriate. She was more than willing to be open about her past and beliefs, seeing no strong need to hide any of that, at least from her friends. She tends to be cordial, and subdued yet often blunt in her interactions, preferring to pose the harsh truths first so that misunderstandings do not deepen. Mikhael Strand Having known the lord from childhood and having sworn herself to him later she viewed Mikhael with both certain pity and admiration, professing her intent to seek him out and turn him back from the destructive path that he had chosen to undertake as she had done once before. The interactions between the two that actually transpired in the span of the campaign were mainly cordial with Gladys once pointing out to Mikhael the obvious enamoration Senecius felt to Edith, when Mikhael teased him about attempting to seduce Gladys in front of the cleric. She is somewhat harsh on herself for having betrayed her oath to Mikhael at first and sees the whole incident as a catalyst for her own redemption. Dustin, Son of Ogust While at first skeptical towards Dustin's honesty in his desire to assist the Brotherhood she came to realize the paladin's good nature and earnesty, after he risked his life to save hers and Shia's multiple times. After this point she grew fond of him, understanding that he could be trusted. Despite that, even through their blood oath of fraternity the two are often at odds ideologically as Gladys detests the rule of the Gods, while Dustin cherishes them. As the two share their passion for good food and fresh air they usually spend quality downtime together. Shia of the Rune Nomads Gladys was a bit awed by Shia's initial serenity and devotion, but slowly came to be worried for her as they journeyed further together and also annoyed at Shia's frequent illogical decisions and her blind willingness to trust anyone the party met. She was pushed aback at Shia's direct sexual advances on her and shocked into stupor at the outlander's betrayal. Refusing to loathe Shia she instead chose to blame Zetheniela for it, vowing to kill her. Noerin Dekkat Gladys is consistently wary of the young wizard, finding both his self-importance as well as his unfounded lust for power repulsive, having confronted Noerin on several occasions about what makes him eligible for godhood, and disliking his belief that one could simply learn enough to become a god,and the idea of a mortal thinking he is worthy of divinity. Regardless of that she understands the inexperience that comes with young age and thus doesn't judge him too harshly. She finds his awkward advances towards her slightly annoying at times and comical at others, such as the time he opted to try and use restoration magic to reattach the hair she had cut, letting him know that hair can grow back. Ytril She finds the diminutive creature curious and is more than willing to listen to the tales about his homeland, when he recounts them. While unsure of his reasoning for joining the Brotherhood she is willing to chalk it up to eccentricity. Glaurum, Lord of Sacrifice Having first met the False God at Sacris Gladys has gained an almost reverent attitude towards the entity, seeing truth in his words and greatly appreciating his boons given upon her. She is willing to defend his position in arguments and feels that maybe he is a being worthy of divinity.Category:Characters